Enzymological Considerations for the Theoretical Description of the Quantitative Competitive Polymerase Chain Reaction (QC-PCR)

✍ Scribed by S. Schnell; C. Mendoza

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 298 KB
• Volume: 184
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5193
• DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.1996.0283

✦ Synopsis

The enzymological principles of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and of the quantitative competitive PCR (QC-PCR) are developed, proposing a theoretical framework that will facilitate quantification in experimental methodologies. It is demonstrated that the specificity of the QC-PCR, i.e. the ratio of the target initial velocity to that of the competitor template, remains constant not only during a particular amplification but also for increasing initial competitor concentrations. Linear fitting procedures are thus recommended that will enable a quantitative estimate of the initial target concentration. Finally, expressions for the efficiency of the PCR and QC-PCR are derived that are in agreement with previous experimental inferences.